Eudaimonia

I am studying philosophy at uni this semester. It is quite scary, if you ask me. I already think more than i should, how much worst is it going to get now?

But anyway, that's not my point. The topic i am doing is "philosophy and the good life". We will learn about different philosophers views on what it is to have a good life (eudaimonia, as they say. a successful life). All of it goes way over my head. I can't seem to understand why they would waste their lives trying to figure out what the best life is. Honestly, why would you even want to know? What if the best life is something you don't want to do? Someone you don't want to be?

Some (philosophers) say your life must be in balance for it to be eudaimonian. I think that is quite true. But at the same time, why can't you have more of something? Say friendships? Why can't it be unbalanced? Others say you need to fullfill your potential. Say you are a great runner. Even if you hate it, they say you should still be a runner, because that's what you are "meant" to do.

I don't get this stuff. Really, i don't. I can't see how different people can have a great life the same way. I honestly believe some really poor but with a good family can be happier than a really rich man with a few friends.

I don't believe it is possible to have 'the best' life one can have. Sometimes you will be happy. Sometimes you will be miserable. Isn't that what life is all about? If there were only ups, would you be happy? I don't think i would. You start wanting more and more. It never ends. You can never be as happy as possible. I believe in being happy with what we have. If you loose something,you will learn to live without it and be happy. If you gain something, you will also learn to live with it and be happy. I strongly believe we learn from our own mistakes. I don't think you can learn from what other people do or say.

There just isn't a formula for an eudaimonian life. There never will be.

For real

So here is the scenario: i avoid people i don't like. Simple? Apprently not. They think that avoiding them means i am not being "honest to myself" or something like that. That i should go to them and try and clear things out, try to find the truth (which i already know) about them (which is what makes me dislike them in the first place). What is so wrong about avoiding someone you don't like? Even if that person is a really close friends to your friends? How is that wrong? Don't we all do it? Can you honestly tell me you don't avoid people you don't like? Can you honestly say you talk to those people you have no respect for? Can you honestly say that? REALLY?
The way i see it is by avoiding them i avoid fights, unnecessary fights. Why would i want to talk to them and know we would fight every single time? Isn't it better to just let things go every now and then, and avoid them back?
Hypocritical people PISS ME OFF. There are too many people like that around. People that cheat and then go against their friends once they cheated. People that say what they want but do something completely different. If you have no morals when it comes to your life, don't pretend you do when it comes to someone else's. You can't pretend you are a good person when you just aren't, Not everyone will love you. DEAL WITH IT. Fighting it only means you will loose more and more people around you. Why would someone keep respecting you after you went and made a huge deal out of someone avoiding you? Isn't that just silly?
For real, people should get over themselves. I know i have. Because i know the majority of people ut there won't like me, now or ever. Because i say what i want and i will act the same way. And i simply don't care if they don't like me for the real me. Better be hated for who i am than be loved for someone i am pretending to be.

Adelaide Film Festival part II

I just realised i haven't posted anything about the movies i watched. So here we go!

Hold me tight, let me go
That was a doco about a school in the UK where children who behave badly go to, after they had loads of trouble in other schools. There is no voice over, no explanation what so ever. It isn't a bad documentary. There are lots of children screaming, swearing, spitting. It is a bit disturbing, I'd say. But I'd recommend it. It is hard to watch it at some stages, because you just can't believe there are children out there like that. But we know they had issues with their parents and behave like that for a reason. There are about 40 students and over 200 staff members. And even so, sometimes the teachers can't manage to make the children behave.

Trivial matters
A Chinese movie, basically about relationships. It is made up of a few different stories about different issues in relationships. Trivial matters, that can blow out of proportion. A bit odd, but well done. If you like movies that don't make clear sense and aren't very traditional, you might like this one.

We are wizards
A documentary on Harry Potter nerds. It is simply AWESOME! Hilarious and very well done. It shows bands such as 'Harry and the Potters' and 'Draco and the Malfoys'. I don't even know what to say about it... everyone should watch it! Here you can find out more about the movie.

Che
Made by Steven Soderbergh, it is a movie about the rise and fall of Ernesto Che Guevara. It goes for a good 4.5 hours. It has 2 parts. The first one tells the story of how Che and Fidel Castro got the power and how they took over Cuba. The second part tells the story of Che going to Bolivia to try and do the same that was done for Cuba, but failing and ending up dead. I watched it without knowing almost anything about his life. It is a very good movie. Very well made, awesome cinematography and great dialogue. The main actor who plays Che even won an award for it. (And Rodrigo Santoro plays Raul Castro!!!)

A film with me on it
With Dylan Moran from Black Books, it is a very dark comedy. Same sort of humour as 'Death at a funeral'. Funny the whole way through, it keeps surprising you in ways you cannot imagine. It was made in Ireland but it is all in English. It is very fresh withouth being trashy. If you can get your hand on it, watch it.

Stella
Freach, it is about a little girl who lives in a bar which her parents own. She doesn't know much about being a child, but she can pass as an adult. It is a drama. The dialogue is great, the plot is very good, the movie is just worth watching. It is clearly french, that is, a bit odd sometimes. But the actrs are good, the story is good, everything about it is good.